The present invention relates to a III-nitride heterojunction power semiconductor devices and power supply circuit including the same.
III-nitride heterojunction power devices are well known. A typical III-nitride power semiconductor device includes a drain electrode, a source electrode and a gate electrode disposed between the drain electrode and the source electrode. The gate electrode controls the current between the source electrode and the drain electrode.
III-nitride power semiconductor devices are desirable for power applications, for example, power supply applications due their low on resistance and high breakdown voltage. In such applications, it may be necessary to switch the current path between two power switches that are connected to a common energy storage device, such as an inductor. However, unless the switching is timed perfectly, the energy in the inductor may drive the voltage high enough that one or both devices breakdown. It is also often advantageous to have an antiparallel diode to conduct current in the reverse direction to prevent opposite polarity voltage spikes. It is, therefore, desirable to have a III-nitride power device suitable for use in a power supply that does not suffer from the drawbacks of the prior art.
It is also desirable to have a power supply circuit that includes a III-nitride power device that does not suffer from the drawbacks of the prior art.